Sunday, the Rutgers staff extended an offer to 5-11, 185-pound defensive back Patrick Johnson II. The Bullis School (Potomac, Md.) junior, who transferred from McKinley Tech (Washington, D.C.) this summer, has also
been offered by Illinois, Boston College and Delaware, and holds each school in
high regard. But he admits the Rutgers program stands out due to his opinion of
their engineering program.

"Rutgers, that's the only school that is strong on engineering,"
said Johnson, who could play either safety or cornerback at the next level. "They
have had a good engineering program for years and they stand out for that.

"I love the school, especially the fact that academically,
it's one of the top D1(A) academic schools in the country."

Johnson, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, has participated in a robotic engineering program since the fifth grade and also carries a full AP course load, so it's clear he takes academics seriously.

"This past school year, I took two engineering honors classes,"
said Johnson who carries a 3.0 grade point average. "I took honors algebra 2,
honors chemistry and Chinese 2, as well."

The Rutgers staff began seriously courting Johnson two weeks
ago when recruiting coordinator Phil Galiano followed him on Twitter. The
interaction culminated in an offer from head coach Kyle Flood at the conclusion
of Sunday's visit.

"When I sat with the head coach, he started talking about how athletic I am, how I fit into the program with the defense perfectly as a d-back, how I high-point the ball, how I attack on defense and how I would make a big difference," said Johnson, who has also
visited Boston College, Delaware and Virginia Tech this summer. "And he also
talked about how I would improve my game if I pick Rutgers.

"Then he said, 'Patrick, you have a scholarship offer to
Rutgers University.'"

Johnson reflected on his visit as he left the Rutgers campus.

"It was perfect," he said. "It was like everything I had
planned for. I had a lot of fun, bonded with the coaches, it was a good experience.
I got what I really wanted out of it."

Johnson plans to visit Illinois for their homecoming game, as
well as Boston College, Rutgers and Delaware for home games in 2014.

He credits "attacking the ball and using (his) athletic
ability" as reasons why his recruitment has begun to take off.

Johnson intercepted six passes in 2013 at McKinley and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.